Glad to hear it just keeps getting better.
I’ve yet to open one of mine. 2008 is a late bloomer vintage.
Incredible restraint. I killed a six pack. It was embarrassing how quickly. Just could not keep my hands off of them. They’re so incredibly delicious. I think Blake is right in that it’s one of the best of the 2008s.
Restraint is not an asset I’d ascribe to myself. 
All wines showed well. Platine over Bereche in the early going. 12 Taittinger CdC polished showing nice depth, honeyed notes after plenty of air. 14 Vilmart CdC dynamic in contrast, a friend likened to kayaking down rapids vs the Taittingers balance. Both excellent.
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Extracted from a Vancouver Island Travelogue thread:
2006 Taittinger Comtes BdB hasn’t changed that much since release. It’s still a sultry beast. It’s not showing much tertiary character, but perhaps becoming more subdued in a good way. It still opens with a little reduction, but glides more quickly and gracefully into that creamy dense Chardonnay-orchard fruit-citrus-brioche waltz it’s shown since release.
2009 Cristal was a big wine but demure. Orange and lemon cream, orchard fruit, red berries and patisserie. Always a treat in this vintage.
Egly-Ouriet VP from the July ‘19 disgorgement was stunning. Intense, and both zesty and creamy. Blood orange and other citrus. Rich and complex, the 82 months on the lees and the perfect oak treatment hit the mark. Intensely textured mouthfeel. I love everything about this wine.
We didn’t finish a half bottle of Pierre Paillard Les Parcelles Extra Brut. Lactic, with sour milk on the nose and palate.
2012 Larmandier-Bernier VV du Levant. I had thought I’d grabbed a 2011. Youthful and boisterous. Lemon cream, almond, apple, brioche. At the moment, this is lacking a little grace, so I’ll give my remaining bottles some time on their side.
Krug GC 164 had the dense ginger I always find in this cuvée. Gingerbread, pomelo, honey, almonds, hazelnut and more. A great rendition, just starting to show the Krug magic, this wine is nice presently, with a great future ahead.
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You might want to try the 2008 Comtes Warren- just saying.
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We went to a friend’s housewarming party last night:
1989 Philipponnat Clos des Goisses (magnum) - Very intense, almost to the point of being shrill. I think I’m moving away from liking this style of Champagne.
2013 Dom Perignon - Clean and crisp, but very well defined. Not a lot of extraneous flavors, just pure fruit. Almost painfully intense.
2013 Marie Courtin Effloresence - Very inviting, more red-fruited, perhaps slightly lower carbonation. I liked this a lot. Certainly preferred it to the other two.
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Nice! Haven’t had the 13 Eff in a while, still have one. Any oxidation? The 14 Eff is one of my all time favorite Champagnes.
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Do you think serving temperature or (not enough) air exposure had anything to do with this, or is this just the way this wine is? (sounds like I’d love it because I do favor this style)
I don’t know if I’ve had the 1989 before. I’ve had lots of Clos des Goisses (mainly 96) only because I have a friend who likes it. All of them have shared incredible intensity and a more oxidative style. This was “cleaner” than some of the 96s I’ve had, but more intense, almost painfully intense. Frankly, I’m not sure when this gets to the point of being really enjoyable to drink, rather than a flavorful and very intense curiosity. I could see where the Dom was going with time, but I really struggled with the Clos des Goisses.
@Frank_Murray_III - No oxidation that I noticed. It was definitely more mature than the other two bottles, but in an integrated and at its peak kind of way. We had a long drive home, so I only got a small glass of this, but I would have loved to have given the full “Murray Treatment”, and followed it over several hours.
I wanted to die after drinking a current release CdG.
It made my jaw hurt all night.
Thank you, Rick. It’s a preference to be able to track a bottle over several small pours, aeration and time.
I hope I will be forgiven for adding here from the cheap seats a Blanc de Noir from the Etna DOC which I have rather enjoyed this evening and feel is on a par with many entry level champagnes (unlike the same producer’s BdB which really didn’t work for me).
- NV Firriato Etna Gaudensius Blanc de Noir - Italy, Sicily, Etna DOC (04/04/2024)
4 years on from my last TN, and I feel I was a bit niggardly in my earlier appraisal.
This bottle from lot L122181, which perhaps means bottled in 12/2021, is rather nice indeed.
After a little air, the nose offers slightly sharp fruit (somewhere between lemon and gooseberry!). The palate is crisp, citrus, a tiny hint of brioche, and finishing moderately long with clean flavours of tart red fruit.
Overall this a a very nice bottle of fizz - definitely on a par with many house champagnes, and great value for parties or just general enjoyment at ~US$19. (89 points)
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I have another 96 CDG, a late disgorged version. Very oxidative style but punchy acidity. Not really my favored profile, to be honest. It’s not going to get better, so I know I need to drink it, but I just am not super jazzed about it.
2018 Ulysse Collin Champagne Blanc de Blancs Extra-Brut 48 mois Les Pierrières
Sometimes when a door closes a window opens. Went to dinner tonight and both the wines I wanted to order from the restaurant’s wine list were gone. I assume this was because the wine list posted online is older and not up to date, which often happens. But lo and behold, a new wine which was not in the online wine list showed up in the restaurants printed wine list and for the amazing price of 120 Euros. Best young Pierrieres I have had so far, usually these can be quite acidic when young but being from the 2018 vintage probably softened the usual acidic streak. Anyway, amazing wine, ginger candy, grapefruit, almond shells, granite and limestone all in this seamless package that just oozed deliciousness.
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Yeah, I find '18 champagnes to be interesting. Several I’ve had seemed a little wan and wimpy, but some others, which I think can lean towards the very acidic in other vintages, find a nice balance in '18 (I’m thinking '18 Blanc d’Argile in particular, though an '18 Hebrart Special Club was also quite good).
I was initially feeling fairly dismissive of '18, but those two champagnes have me reconsidering my initial attitude.
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I can’t handle the Berserker shaming (or resist enabling) . I’m going to open my first 2008 Comtes on Saturday at a wine dinner I’m hosting to benefit our local Hospice House.
No shaming coming from here; just a suggestion in case you want to drink something extra special and in your wheelhouse.
Should your bottle not be up to standards, put a cork in it and send it to me and I’ll pay you for it plus shipping.
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- NV Marguet Champagne Grand Cru Shaman 18 - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (4/5/2024)
November 2021 disgorgement. No dose, using 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chard. I wanted something tonight I didn't have to really get to cerebral about, something more overt with some stuffing. Decided to go with this, as it's my last one. Same moderately golden color, same as the previous bottle in 2023. This has a salted butter note, I believe coming from the wood elevage. Yeah, I know the wood is a turn off for some concerning Marguet, but I am well-aware now of what I am getting when I open/buy the wines. If the wood isn't your thing, then perhaps find something else in Ambonnay or the Bouzy slope. Back to the wine...plenty of acid here, mainly lime that drives the energy. Kiwi too, along with coconut. Given the color, and the way the apple shows to me, I'd say there is some oxidation here, and my comment from a past bottle about apple pie with cinnamon and crust is accurate again, yet the lime adds a freshening edge. Finishes with the citrus, along with some brown spice/clove. I like this, I don't love it.
Posted from CellarTracker
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